Archive for June, 2014

Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are missing the opportunity to use online tools to run their core business better by: cutting costs, reaching customers and suppliers, innovating and getting more control over their business, according to a new Grattan Institute discussion paper.

Businesses with less than 200 employees employ two-thirds of private sector workers and contribute more than half of Australia’s private sector GDP and if advanced online technology becomes the norm among SMEs, the productivity gains would spread through the whole economy.

There are four big opportunities for SMEs to use online tools more effectively: mobile, social, data analytics, and the cloud. The paper says:

only 18% of Australian SMEs with an internet connection have developed mobile-optimised websites.

only a quarter of Australian SMEs with an internet connection say they use social networking for marketing purposes.

many SMEs haven’t realised the full potential of data analytics to understand their customer segments.

only 8% of Australian SME managers say they use the cloud. But 47% of SMEs with an internet connection use basic cloud computing services such as webmail or cloud data storage.

All four opportunities can help small firms win where before they would have lost to larger firms that could absorb the fixed costs of corporate IT.

Australian e-commerce sales increased from $27 billion in 2010, to more than $37 billion in 2013 and have been continuously demonstrating an increase of $3-4 billion every year, according to a press release published in the Digital Journal.

The press release also said:

Australian consumers spent an annual average of $2,108 online in 2013

Almost 73% of Internet users belonging to the age group of 35 to 44 have done shopping online.

Australian consumers spent a total of $16 billion online in 2012.

By the end of 2012, 45% of Australian businesses were said to have an online presence including a full feature website or a single home page.

The Suncorp Group, including AAMI, GIO and Vero, has appointed content marketing agency Edge to spearhead their new joint venture, the Business Insurance Hub.

Edge will deliver a suite of content and tools, including a mix of opinion editorials, articles and social media updates meant to help small to medium businesses become more informed about business insurance.

“Producing regular content for the Business Insurance Hub is one way the Suncorp Group plans to support Australian businesses in their efforts to research business insurance online,” Edge’s Head of Strategy Richard Parker said.

“For an online resource to be relevant and engaging there must be a constant flow of current news and information about changes in the market, as well as tools that assist the decision making process, whichever channel they ultimately choose,” said Parker.

“Edge will be helping to breakdown the industry jargon to produce easy to understand content that makes sense. This content will underscore the long-term strategy for the website to be the premier resource for Australian business insurance information.”

The Sydney Morning Herald offers the following advice for domain owners to help them better protect their domains:

What rights does registering a domain name give you?

When you register a domain name you get a license giving you the exclusive right to use that domain name for a specific period. For .au domains this is two years.

Can someone register domain names that are similar to my business?

Yes they can. You have a license to use the specific domain names that you register. Other parties can register and use similar domain names.

Is this illegal?

No, simply registering domain names that are similar to another business’s domain name, does not breach current Australian law.

However, there are other serious considerations, including:

Australian Domain Name Authority (auDA) policy applies to all .au domains and all Australian domain holders. Australian domain names may only be registered to Australian businesses. com.au and net.au domain names must be “an exact match, abbreviation or acronym of the registrant’s name or trademark or closely and substantially connected to the registrant”. Failure to demonstrate this connection can lead to the domain name being cancelled, under auDA policy.

Using another trader’s registered trademark in the registered classes may be trademark infringement and a breach of the Trade Marks Act 1995.

Australian Consumer Law prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct, including false and misleading representations that one business has an affiliation with another business that it does not have.

Using another trader’s branding and/or trademarks, even if the branding is not a registered trademark, may be passing off.

How can I protect my brand online?

Legal solutions

Choose a brand that is clearly distinguishable from your competitors can be easier to protect and defend.

Include a copyright notice in your website terms that sets out your intellectual property rights.

Consider registering variations of your main domain name.

Register your business trade mark to give you the exclusive right to use this trade mark as a brand name for the products or services specific in your registration.

Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct International plc has acquired a 4.8% stake in Australian online retailer MySale.

But the purchase was pretty much by accident.

Ashley, who owns Newcastle United made the purchase after MySale shares were accidentally listed at two pounds, 26 pence, instead of 226p – which some trading floors interpreted as 2.26p – triggering a flash sale.

MySale only started trading on AIM at the beginning of the week.

In a statement to Sports Direct shareholders, the firm said: “Sports Direct looks forward to developing its relationship with MySale, including the potential to co-operate on significant collaboration and joint venture opportunities in Australasia and Asia.

“This partnership approach is consistent with Sports Direct’s strategy in other regions and the Group believes that MySale is ideally suited to help realise Sports Direct’s multi-channel potential in Australasia and Asia.”

MySale is a members online e-commerce platform that runs limited-time sales of designer goods exclusively to its members.

WooCommerce has announced a new partnership with social commerce platform Social Rebate.

WooCommerce users will now have access to Social Rebate‘s unique social commerce plug-in, which allows brands to reward customers with instant cash rebates for promoting them on social networks.

“WooCommerce is always on the lookout for the best ways to boost sales for our users,” said Joel Bronkowski, WooCommerce Business Development Manager. “Social Rebate won us over with their unique ability to drive new customers to businesses through social commerce, we’re happy to offer this revolutionary tool to everyone using WooCommerce.”

Australia placed just behind the US as countries which encourage and foster female entrepreneurship, ahead of Germany, France, Mexico and the UK.

The rankings are calculated based on three factors:

the entrepreneurial environment in a country;

the entrepreneurial ecosystem; and

entrepreneurial aspirations.

Emma Isaacs, chief executive of Business Chicks, said the rankings don’t surprise her at all.

“The corporate landscape in Australia is forcing women out in droves [and] this is creating a really strong community of women who are starting their own businesses, simply because they want to create work that works for their situation,” says Isaacs.

“There is a really exciting startup culture in Australia at the moment,” says Isaacs. “Women have access to great networks and great role models who have already paved the way, and the strong economy is of course also helpful — for any startup to be successful there needs to be strong financial support.”

Federal communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, wants Australian small businesses to adopt cloud computing, and the federal government plans to help them by releasing a series of guides this week aimed at helping small businesses adopt and employ cloud services.

The guides have been launched following the findings of the Department of Communication’s Cloud Computing Government Stock Take report (PDF), which was released recently and reviews the existing regulation that applies to cloud services in Australia.

“The guides … will assist Australian small businesses to be part of this revolution. They cover a range of topics from questions to ask your cloud provider, to legal issues to consider in the cloud,” said Turnbull in a statement posted on his office’s website.

“Cloud computing is already proving to be revolutionary for small businesses, as it significantly lowers cost barriers to ICT adoption,” he said. “KPMG estimates the increased adoption of cloud services in Australian firms could boost the Australian economy by AU$3.32 billion a year.”

Facebook Australia and New Zealand managing director Will Easton said that Facebook Premium Video offers brands new ways to engage and connect with over 10 million Australians who access Facebook daily.

“In the coming months, we’ll be working closely with advertisers to deliver high-quality video campaigns that create the best possible advertising experience,” Mr Easton said.

The 15-second video ads appear in users’ newsfeeds and play automatically with the sound muted until they are clicked on.

Procurement professionals now have a place to collaborate online thanks to the launch of Procurious in Australia.

Procurious is an online hub aimed at procurement professionals looking to advance their careers, develop their skills and expand their professional networks.

The network will include groups and lively discussion forums, news tips and advice, access to online and offline events, plus a range of mobile and desktop accessible e-learning modules — all compatible with a full range of devices, from PCs to mobile.

“Procurement has a new face. It’s now younger, more ambitious and more global than ever before. There’s a huge opportunity for bright and ambitious procurers to begin changing the face of the profession from the inside out,” Founder Tania Seary said.

“Corporate supply chains are in the media spotlight every day — but procurement often remains the unsung hero for its role in creating competitive advantage and upholding the reputation and value proposition of businesses and brands.”